Chương 42: The Sound Beneath the Stone

The Royal Capital did not sleep. Even after midnight, its streets remained illuminated by thousands of magical lamps. Carriages continued to cross the bridges, taverns remained crowded, and the voices of merchants could still be heard from the lower districts. From a distance, it was difficult to imagine that anything could disturb such a city. Yet beneath its foundations, something had already begun to move. Leo stood alone in the corridor of the academy residence. Everyone else had gone to sleep.

He had tried to do the same. He had failed. That sensation from beneath the capital had returned shortly after midnight, and this time it had been impossible to ignore. It had not felt like magic being cast. It had felt like something awakening. Leo walked toward the nearest window. The city stretched before him, its towers illuminated against the dark sky. He placed his hand against the glass. Nothing. Then— A faint vibration passed through the building. The window trembled. Leo's eyes narrowed.

A second vibration followed. This one was stronger. Somewhere below the capital, an enormous amount of magical power had shifted. Then everything became still again. Leo remained motionless. He could have gone back to his room. He could have ignored it. Instead, he quietly put on his coat. The lower district was almost empty. Leo moved through the narrow streets without attracting attention. He had no particular destination. He was following the sensation.

It led him away from the prosperous center of the capital and toward an older section of the city where the buildings stood much closer together. The streets became narrower. The lamps became fewer. Eventually, Leo stopped before an abandoned stone building. There was nothing remarkable about it. Its windows were broken, its entrance had been sealed, and weeds had grown through the cracks in the surrounding pavement. Leo looked at the ground. A faint magical residue remained beneath the stone.

Someone had been here recently. He crouched and touched the pavement. The sensation immediately returned. A pulse. Deep beneath him. Leo withdrew his hand. So it is connected to this place. Before he could investigate further, footsteps sounded behind him. He stood. Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. A woman was walking toward him. She wore a dark cloak bearing the insignia of the Royal Academy. She stopped several meters away.

"You shouldn't be here." Leo recognized her. She was one of the instructors who had supervised the Convergence exercises. Her name was Professor Elara Veyne. Leo glanced at the abandoned building.

"I could say the same about you." Her expression remained calm.

"I am investigating something."

"So am I." Elara studied him.

"Then perhaps you should return to the residence."

"Why?"

"Because whatever is beneath this district has nothing to do with students." Leo looked at her for a moment.

"That sounds like a reason to investigate it." Elara's eyes narrowed slightly.

"You are curious."

"No." Leo turned toward the street.

"I'm cautious." She almost smiled.

"Those two things are rarely different at your age." Leo began walking. Elara did not stop him. Instead, she said,"Leo." He paused.

"If you notice anything unusual tomorrow, tell Professor Gareth." Leo looked over his shoulder.

"Something already happened tonight." Elara's expression changed. Only slightly. But Leo noticed.

"What?" She looked toward the abandoned building.

"The eastern mana conduit lost power for exactly nine seconds." Leo remained silent.

"That shouldn't be possible," she continued.

"The conduit has three independent stabilizers."

"And yet it happened."

"Exactly." For several seconds, neither spoke. Then Elara turned away.

"Go back." Leo watched her disappear into the darkness. He remained outside for another minute before finally leaving. The next morning, the atmosphere inside the academy was different. The students were still excited about the Convergence, but rumors had already begun spreading. Amon was the first to bring them up.

"I heard one of the districts lost power last night." Masha looked up from her breakfast.

"Power?"

"Mana power." Alice frowned.

"How?"

"Nobody knows." Leo continued eating. Amon leaned closer.

"Apparently, the Royal Academy sent instructors to investigate." Masha looked toward Leo.

"You seem unusually quiet."

"I'm eating."

"You've been eating for five minutes."

"Then I have been quiet for five minutes." Amon laughed. Alice, however, continued watching him. She knew him well enough to notice when something was being left unsaid. Before she could ask, the doors to the dining hall opened. Professor Gareth entered. He did not have his usual relaxed expression. The conversations gradually stopped. Gareth stood at the front of the hall.

"The schedule has changed." The students exchanged looks.

"The second stage of the Arcane Convergence will be postponed." A murmur spread through the room.

"Why?" Gareth waited until the room became quiet again.

"There was an incident in the eastern district last night." The word incident immediately attracted everyone's attention.

"No student is permitted to leave the academy grounds without authorization until further notice." A student raised his hand.

"Was anyone hurt?" Gareth paused.

"No." That answer should have reassured them. It didn't.

"Then why are we being restricted?" Gareth's expression hardened.

"Because we do not yet know what caused it." Silence followed. Leo lowered his gaze. Nine seconds. The information Elara had given him returned to his mind. Nine seconds was too precise to be an accident. Something had interrupted the mana network. Something capable of bypassing three stabilizers. And whatever it was… It had chosen to stop. Later that afternoon, the Convergence continued despite the restrictions.

The organizers moved the students toward indoor facilities and replaced the scheduled outdoor activities with lectures and demonstrations. Leo found himself sitting near the back of the auditorium. A senior mage stood on the stage explaining the structure of the Royal Capital's mana network.

"The city is divided into seven primary conduits," the mage explained.

"Each distributes magical energy throughout a designated region. The system has remained stable for more than two centuries." A diagram appeared behind him. Seven lines extended from the central structure of the capital. Leo stared at them. Then he noticed something. The eastern conduit was not connected directly to the others. There was a smaller secondary line branching beneath it. The mage did not mention it. Leo raised his hand. The instructor looked surprised.

"Yes?"

"Why is there a secondary conduit beneath the eastern district?" The auditorium became quiet. The instructor looked at the diagram. For a moment, his expression was blank. Then he changed the image.

"The diagram is outdated." Leo did not respond. The explanation sounded rehearsed. Amon leaned toward him.

"Did you notice something?"

"Yes."

"What?" Leo looked toward the stage.

"They're hiding something." Alice heard him. She frowned.

"Are you sure?"

"No." He paused.

"But they are definitely not telling us everything." That night, someone entered the abandoned building in the eastern district. They did not carry a torch. They did not need one. A faint red glow illuminated the underground chamber. The walls were covered with old inscriptions. At the center stood a massive stone door. Several iron seals had been placed across its surface. Three were intact. The fourth had cracked. A masked figure approached the door. He placed his palm against the stone.

A voice came from behind him.

"Is it ready?" The figure remained silent.

"Answer me."

"The seal is weakening."

"How long?" A pause.

"Three days." The second person slowly smiled.

"Then the Convergence arrived at the perfect time." The masked figure turned toward him.

"And the students?"

"They are irrelevant." The man looked toward the sealed door.

"Once that thing wakes up, this entire city will become a battlefield." For the first time, the masked figure spoke.

"And if it cannot be controlled?" The man smiled.

"Then we will simply see how powerful the kingdom really is." Deep beneath them, something struck the other side of the stone door. Boom. Dust fell from the ceiling. Neither man moved. A second impact followed. Boom. A thin crack appeared across the ancient seal. Then came a sound that neither of them had expected. A voice. Not loud. Not human. But unmistakably conscious.

"Let me out." The two men looked at each other. And beneath the Royal Capital… Something opened its eyes. End of Chapter 42